A small American brewer is encouraging consumers to ditch Anheuser-Busch in response to the company’s Super Bowl commercial and vow only to drink “anti-globalist beer” in the future.
William Kelly, owner of Citizen Kelly’s Irish Ale, said the commercial recounting beer tycoon Adolphus Busch’s journey to America from Germany was politically charged.
“Budweiser stepped in it big time when it inserted the immigration debate into its 60-second Super Bowl commercial, ’Born the Hard Way,’ ” Mr. Kelly said in a press release. “The spot reveals a dramatized — and apparently fabricated — account of co-founder Adolphus Busch’s journey to America.”
Budweiser said the commercial had been in the works for months and wasn’t meant to be a political statement directed at President Trump’s immigration policies.
But the hashtag #BoycottBudweiser immediately started trending on social media after the ad aired on Sunday.
Mr. Kelly recommended several “anti-globalist” beers that disillusioned Budweiser drinkers can safely switch to, including MillerCoors and Yuengling, whose owners both supported Mr. Trump during the general election.
“Budweiser’s insertion of politics into America’s pastime was a high-risk move that has alienated former Budweiser fans, leaving them on the hunt for an authentic American beer,” he said.
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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